Transplanting

Reading from The New Organic Farmer, I was better able to understand the importance of transplanting. Transplanting is when one starts seedlings in one area and then moving them to another.

Transplanting can be very beneficial to a garden and there are many reasons why it is important and helpful. First from the reading I found that seedlings are better able to be under controlled temperatures in a green house. This is very important because different plants like a tropical tomato require different temperatures and in a greenhouse one can control the cultural conditions for a plant. The author recommends a thermostatically controlled bottom-heating propagation mat in the greenhouse. We use one of these in our greenhouse at the Arboretum.

He says that transplanting is typically used for crops that regrow roots easily like tomato, lettuce, celery, and onion.

When transplanting it is important to make sure the roots of the plants are lease disturbed as possible so they are not harmed. If mistreated, the plants could not grow properly or die. Transplanting is a value for crops that are less tolerant of root disturbance, so the transplanting must be done in the best way possible.

One most be considerate with the type of containers used for transplanting. Single pots may be difficult and awkward for a big group of plants. Large containers with trays may be problematic because of root circling. At the garden we use big trays with portable, single containers for the seeds.